Muggle Quidditch
Quidditch, a sport in the Harry Potter books, has inspired many people to play Muggle Quidditch, a nonmagical version of the game. As it is adapted from the game in the book, people have made many different versions and there are no standard rules, at least yet. A number of colleges, most notably Middlebury, now have Muggle Quiditch teams. Equipment and Balls As Muggles don't have magical balls, they must substitute with other things. Quaffles The Quaffle is often a basketball or soccer ball, sometimes slightly deflated to make it easier to grip. It is sometimes painted scarlet, as it is in wizard Quidditch. Chasers carry it to throw through the goalposts. Bludgers Bludgers vary through different versions. Sometimes, they are kicked or thrown at players by the Beaters. Other times, tennis rackets are used by the beaters to pick up and throw them. Whenever a player is hit by a Bludger, they must throw the Quaffle into the air or drop it (if they are it posession of it) and freeze/spin around for five seconds (counting out loud). In some games, the Keeper and/or Seeker is immune to Bludgers. Golden Snitches The Golden Snitch varies the most between versions. Sometimes, it is a person dressed in yellow that the Seekers must tag. Other times, they carry a sock with a ball inside in the back of their pants that the Seeker must grab. The human Snitch can either run around the field or around a larger determined area trying to evade capture. Other times, the Snitch is not human. It is a frisbee or ping-pong ball thrown back and forth at random intervals between two snitchers (see "Snitcher" below). The Seeker must catch the Snitch while it is in mid-air, sometimes with a pointed hat, other times with hands. The snitchers sometimes also throw false snitches (not colored gold) back and forth to confuse the Seekers, as they have no point value. The Snitch is usually worth 150 points, but sometimes 75. In other versions, the Snitch is guarded by the Keeper, who can stop the Seeker by tagging them. Bats The Beaters bats are really tennis rackets, if used. Goalposts There are three goalposts on each side. They are sometimes hoola hoops on posts. They are obviously much shorter than wizard ones. Brooms Often times, the players much carry brooms between their legs. If dropped, the player is out (representing them falling off). Players Most Muggle Quidditch games have the same player positions as wizard Quidditch. However, what they do is usually slightly different. In most versions, all players must carry a broomstick between their legs at all times. Chasers In Muggle Quidditch, the Chasers have the most similar positions to the wizard game. They run to the goals and try to throw the Quaffle through. They can grab the Quaffle from other players, but they cannot grab other players. Keepers The Keepers stay near the goalposts and try to block the Quaffle from going in. In some versions, they can only block with their hands, and in others, only with their brooms. Beaters The Beaters try to hit other players with Bludgers. In some versions, they have tennis rackets as the only tools with which to pick up and throw Bludgers, no hands. Other times, they must throw and/or kick the Bludgers. Seekers The Seeker's goal is to catch the Golden Snitch. How differs between games (See "Snitch" above). Sometimes, the Seeker is also allowed to score goals, like a Chaser. Snitchers The snitchers are only used in some versions. They are on no side. There are usually two to four per game (if any). They throw the Snitch back and forth across the field at random intervals. In some versions, the snitchers also throw false snitches, not gold. Once all snicthes have been thrown, they go retrieves them, sometimes going onto the field. They signal the referee if the Snitch is caught. Referees The referee is similar to wizard Quidditch. They make sure no one breaks the rules. Rules The remainder of the rules are mostly the same as in wizard Quidditch. Category: Quidditch